Very disappointed as I was willing to be optimistic about this, but sadly I can't be. Just totally unappealing to me and seems only to appeal to that demographic that I won't same the name of. It may be better and more interesting than "Say Something" but I'm hoping it doesn't go to #1 once it's released in two weeks time. Of course it could grow on me but I highly doubt it. 2.4

^ What was I thinking when I said that. It's absolutely terrible and just sounds like a One Direction song with a completely faux "rockish" sound tacked on so it doesn't sound like a boyband song. Although it ends up being much worse than any 1D song... Lyrics are also crap and the lyric "she looks so perfect standing there in my American apparel underwear" is especially vile. The music video is absolute filth and one of the worst I've seen in a long time. The worst song I've heard that is released in 2014 so far. The sooner this garbage boyband phase ends the better!Laatst gewijzigd: 05/03/2014 10:38

I really wish I didn't have to give a rating to give a review, or at the very least I wish it wasn't displayed at the top so it's the first thing you see. I'm much more interested in why someone has an opinion than just what that is. If I were to embrace this, then I recommend skipping the next three paragraphs, because that's just a summation of what leads me to my feelings and how they may or may not have some influence (I also struggle to articulate my thoughts in a tidy way, so it will also be difficult to read).

First some background: I cannot actually recall when I first came to know of this group. Possibly in early 2013 though I certainly never investigated their music, why bother when I can just ignore them? Of course, that would be only temporary as by the end of the year it would be hard not to acknowledge them via a totally insubstantial competition which is weirdly fun despite being mundane. I like to be in the know, so in the course of that, I was constantly checking for any potentially noteworthy updates in social media. What did I find? I found my time constantly wasted having to scroll through page after page of incidentally timed & suspiciously similarly worded shouts of praise for this group. It's kind of weird how these things can just surface seemingly overnight.

On the other end of the spectrum (though not quite as loudly voiced), I was constantly informed that they are some kind of 'shit boy band' and the worst thing ever. With this sort of conflict, obviously I had to do the unthinkable: Listen to the material on show. Their first EP "Somewhere New" is thoroughly listenable. A bit of a blander The 1975, but still nothing that evoked much of a reaction from me. Of course it would become exceedingly difficult for me to maintain my 'eh, they're ok' view in light of the unsavoury turn of events which would work out great for 5 Seconds Of Summer and their fans, not so much for me. Some 'internal influence' makes it easier for me to ignore that though and not get worked up about it and fortunately I've been able to mostly keep them out of my way since then, so things are alright there.

Anyhow, they never really did much to make me curious of what was to follow, though I knew it was coming. Really I was just hoping that it wouldn't be anything offensively bad. I mean, from a marketing point of view, it hardly could have mattered what it was, and this song had the pre-order strength to chart highly before there was *any* content known. It was quite hilarious that someone shortly after uploaded a different song under this name, and it did generate a lot of clickage as if it were the genuine article. Clearly they should release a pure dubstep track just to see what the reaction is!

It's a shame really because when this finally did see the light of day, I had an immediate allergic reaction to it. In recent years, I have been re-evaluating what I like in music. Tuneless pop rock has gone way down in my stocks, primarily I'm after melody, mood, and tiny subtleties that I can cue right to the second as I give a 50th listen, which is still as fresh as ever before. This sort of music just doesn't really deliver on those grounds. Not only do you pretty much hear everything on first listen, there's not much in that. Traversing the chorus is particularly a nightmare. The drums & guitars have been so neatly polished that there's no character to them, no atmosphere, and no tune. It's genuinely just 'DUN, DUN, DUN, DUN, DUN, DUN, DUN, DUN'. Rock is about energy, there needs to be something going on to pay off somewhere, but I hear nothing in it. Perhaps the one slight positive I have is that towards the end of the chorus, another guitar comes in over the top of the noise wall and finally injects some melody into the occasion! It's oh so short but a relief.

I do have a gripe with the lyrics there too. Yeah there's a cringeworthy line in there, but then the whole thing is of concern: 'She' is described through the clothes she is/is not wearing, and we're greeted afterwards with 'I'm so down'. In most contexts, this would be fine. The implications here are...not the sort of thing I'd expect from this demographic. Now THAT makes me cringe and squirm hearing it.

Essentially my issue is that this has the potential to be totally inoffensive, but the chorus just ruins everything. My disappointment elevated when I listened to the Mikey Demo Vocal version on the EP. When that started I thought I was in a whole new world of suck, but I quickly realised that all the changes were for the better. Vocal effects! Drums that actually make it out of the mix alive! The lyrics are still there, but it's just so much more raw and I actually hear things that are interesting. Only because I just listened to it 10 times in a row do I want to make a comparison, but this version makes me think of Haim's "My Song 5", which elevated my respect for the group more than just another solid single could, showing they had the guts to put a totally unfiltered and unsettling track on their debut album, which also doubled as pretty awesome in its own right. So I have developed a strong dislike of whoever mixed this, as they've forced me into a corner where I cannot like this. In fact I would even put this balancing around a 1* mark because (short moment at the end of the chorus aside) I truly struggle to find some sort of salvaging factor to give it anything higher. I am being totally nice and bumping it up to a 2* because the demo version is actually redeemable, while I wait for either this to blow over, or get a lot better please.Laatst gewijzigd: 30/03/2014 18:14

The track has a few style changes along the way which I struggle with. The hey hey's are surprisingly the more enjoyable parts of the song The lyrics seem to be randomly thrown together: "simmer down", "if you don't swim", "but don't move".I'm just not feeling much emotion here. Also I agree that hearing the "American Apparel underwear" line is a turn off. Once would have been plenty. Not #1 worthy for me. 2.5*

Okay, I'll finally admit it, it is quite a solid track. My subjectivity and prejudice got in the way when it was popular, and it stopped me from enjoying this. Maybe it's their subsequent releases which have made me appreciate this more, but honestly I think it is really decent.